from the “enemy of the goal” to success at the World Cup! Why he likes zacusca and how he set fire to a car as a child

Jovo Lukic's life has changed radically in the last 12 months. On June 16, 2025, he was released by the University of Craiova, after he had been mocked in Bănie as the “enemy of the goal”, a day later, on June 17, he signed with U Cluj.

In black and white he was reborn, he became the top scorer of the championship, he returned to the national team, he was sent to the stands by the selector Sergej Barbarez for the play-off matches with Wales and Italy, but he won the World Cup, he was the starter with Canada and scored his country's first goal at the big competition on American soil!

“The enemy of the goal” at the University of Craiova, who paid 400,000 euros for him in September 2024

The successful header by Jovo Lukic made a special advertisement for U Cluj, especially since it is the first goal of a footballer from the domestic first division in such a competition after a break of 32 years. The last was Ilie Dumitrescu, with a brace in the match with Argentina (3-2) from the 1994 World Cup.

First, Ioan Ovidiu Sabău, then Cristiano Bergodi were the coaches who believed in the attacking qualities of the scorer from Toronto.

After a dismal season in Bania, after Craiova University paid 400,000 euros for him to bring him from Borac Banja Luka in September 2024. In blue and white it was a year to forget for the footballer. He played and he didn't play too much, he didn't produce, he managed to miss from all positions. “The enemy of the void” – that's how he was called in Bănie. At one point, the supporters didn't even apostrophe him anymore…

2Jovo Lukic scored goals in 31 matches for Craiova in the 2024/2025 edition

The goal that increases the transfer fee for this summer

At U Cluj he restarted for his whole life. Not just in career. Apart from Beşiktaş, there are also clubs from Russia and the Gulf that are interested in Lukic. Before the game, his share was 2 million euros, according to the Transylvanian calculations. Now, he has passed this milestone well.

Starting from the Bosnian third league, Lukic is living his dream. The American Dream. He started 2026 with an injury, he was sidelined for a month due to muscle problems!, but he didn't give up. He came back stronger and finished top scorer in the Superliga. A detail that weighed in the eyes of the selector Sergej Barbarez.

He had only one selection for the national team of Bosnia, in December 2021, to which two more were added in the friendlies before the World Cup, then the one tonight in Toronto. He also took full advantage of the batch problems in the Bosnian national team.

I hate lifting weights. Trust me I don't like it at the gym. All you see is (my) natural power. They force me to go to the gym, they force me to do this. But I agree with myself: “Okay, you don't need too much, just do a little and that's it!
Jovo Lukic, striker U Cluj

Jovo Lukic's childhood: “I set fire to a car. A neighbor's”

In an interview this spring for those from U Cluj, Jovo opened up about some personal details.

“My mother used to call me: 'Jovo, Jovo, come in the house and eat!'. And I was afraid that if I went in the house, my friends would do the same and there would be no one left outside to play. I would run to the house, make myself a sandwich and come back down to my friends' house. All day long!

(A negative thing from your childhood?) I set fire to a car. A neighbor's. Accidentally. Serious. It was winter, I had some fireworks in my hand. Not the big ones, but the ones you hold in your hand and burn slowly. From those little ones, from birthdays. Me and my friend, who is now my godfather, were playing outside.

I took about ten of these, lit them up and blew them up. After a few minutes, we look into the distance and see fire. “Ooo, someone set fire to something, let's see!”. We go down another street – nothing.

We turn around and see fire again. When we got there, a car was on fire. An old one. The owner had put a tarp over it and one of the sparks fell on it, it was hot and lit the whole car on fire. I was 11-12 years old then.

4selections collected Lukic for Bosnia with the match in Toronto, being on his first goal for the national team of Bosnia

And I also had some money in my pocket. Five Bosnian marks. About 15 lei, maybe. The neighbor called my father. I thought it was killing me. Dad called me and didn't do anything to me. “How did you manage to do something like that?!”, he asked me. I told him that I'm sorry, that I pay the damage with those five marks (laughs)”, said the striker, the Superliga's top scorer.

I have four sisters, all older than me. I like zacusca, but it's better here. My opinion. I love beef ribs with barbeque sauce, I actually told my wife I could eat this every day of my life. Oh, and I really like all-inclusives, in Antalya, for example
Jovo Lukic, striker U Cluj